Metro News & Reviews

Foodie guide to the Gold Line Eastside Extension – Maravilla, East L.A. Civic Center, and Atlantic

The eight new stations on Metro’s growing rail system will lead Angelenos to some fantastic options for munching. The internet is buzzing about the possibilities and even the Mayor has chimed in with his two cents about where to eat. And now the L.A. Times has joined the fray, calling the Eastside Extension of the Gold Line a “food nirvana”.

Metro has put out a map of restaurants (PDF) along the line, but the inclusion of places like McDonalds, Subway, and Pizza Hut left me wanting to explore the dining options a little deeper. I love a Quarter Pounder as much as the next guy, but I decided it would be best to look to the local reviewers on Yelp! to find out if Metro missed any gems along the Gold Line that don’t involve golden arches.

My general methodology goes like this: restaurants must be located within half a mile (about a 10-minute walk) from the stations, they must receive at least four stars from Yelp reviewers, and there has to be a minimum of 10 Yelp reviews in order to make the cut. If some restaurants listed don’t match this criteria, I’ll make note of it.

The final stops on our East L.A. dining tour are relatively close to one another, located on the last mile of 3rd Street, and thus the Maravilla, East L.A Civic Center, and Atlantic stations will be bundled together in this post.

Maravilla Station

King Taco (0.1 miles away)
4 stars based on 127 reviews.Another King Taco restaurant along the Gold Line Eastside Extension, and the third for the entire line (there’s one in Old Town Pasadena near the Memorial Park Station).